Hearts at Unrest
by InnocentDiamond
Summary: A meeting with a mysterious person leads Alice to thinking back about memories of her & someone who she now hates. By helping others who have suffered because of the loss of loved ones reach peace, will Alice's heart rest in harmony & forgive that very person?
1. The Mysterious Mansion

The man sat in his seat, carefully putting the oval portraits of various people on a somewhat old piece of parchment-looking paper. He sprinkled some black powder around the portraits in a gentle fashion, making a vine pattern that decorated the "picture." Then the man struck a match and lit one end of the powder trail.

"Now I will finally find out who the most suitable person for this is. No matter how they claim on being the 'best' or most 'understanding' or 'strongest' medium, only one of them will be real among all those frauds."

He watched the powder light up and burn some of the portraits. The fire trailed everywhere that the powder left a trail until there was no more powder to burn. The fire died out shortly right before a picture of a girl with wavy orange hair and chocolate brown eyes.

"So _she's_ the one. Alice Gehabich..."

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"Goodbye, Alice! See you tomorrow! Don't forget about the poster!"

"Don't worry, I won't. See you in class tomorrow! Be safe!"

Alice waved goodbye to one of her classmates as she walked home alone in the dark. It's become quite a habit since Alice was now taking Honors and Advanced Placement classes in high school now and also special night classes offered only to certain types of students. As she was walking, Alice heard someone run up to her. "Alice, wait up!"

Alice turned around to see Shun running at her and greeting him with unwelcoming tone. "Oh. What are you doing here?"

Shun stopped to rest as he held his hand out. "Um, you left this on your desk. This _is_ yours, right?" Lying on his palm was a charm-like item in a shape of a weird heptagon.

Alice looked and saw the item in Shun's hand. "Oh, that _is_ mine. I knew I was forgetting something."

"Well, I'm glad I chased up to you for that. I can tell that it's quite valuable already just by looking at it." said Shun, trying to brighten up the mood.

"Thanks. If there's nothing else, then I must be leaving." Before she left, Alice added a quick, "You should go home, too."

"I know. My mom or somebody is going to pick me up soon. Do you walk home _every_ night? That sounds really dan-"

"I don't have the money to buy a car, there are no buses or taxis driving around at this hour, and my aunt is really unpredictable on whether or not she'll be home with the car or not. Happy now?"

A car pulled up against the sidewalk, and knowing that he'd have to leave, Shun wanted to end his conversation nicely. "I have to go now, but I have a quick question."

"What is it?"

"Do you believe in ghosts?"

Alice was dumbfounded by the question and thought about it. "I wouldn't say that I totally believe in them, but they do intrigue me. Why?"

"Just asking. Take care. Oh, one last thing."

"What?"

Shun closed the door of the back seat and put the window down. "I won't be in class tomorrow." He put the window back up as the car drove off.

Alice continued to walk home after the car left and thought, _I tried my best to stay away him, but he's always coming back. What is wrong with me? _Once she got home, Alice saw a note on the table from her aunt saying that she left for an important business assignment in a rush. Alice sighed and went to make herself a snack while watching TV. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Who's there?" Alice saw no one outside but a parcel on her doormat. "That's strange. What's this?" She closed the door and put the parcel on her dining table. Alice carefully cut the ropes and tape off the box and opened it.

"It's...a typewriter?"

She also found a wind-up key in the box, which fit perfectly in a slot on the side of the typewriter. Alice refilled the ink ribbon and put in a new piece of paper and _then_ turned the key. The typewriter automatically typed a message.

_Dear Alice,_

_We'd like to invite you to our classes at the School of Spiritualism. You will not only have a chance to meet a famous medium but also to see ghosts!_

_Come to the building by E. Main Street and Abbot Avenue at 10 p.m._

_Gabriel Jones_

"A seance? I've always wanted to participate in one of those! And it's held tomorrow! I can't believe this!" Alice cheered and celebrated as she prepared the things she thought was necessary for a seance.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

As she was sitting inside a taxi on her way to the city hall building, Alice kept wondering if this was actually real. _This is just too good to be true. What if this is just another fraud? Then I'll never be able to go to a real __seance__ anytime in my life. Must I really just keep on studying instead of doing these extracurricular activities? _Alice opened her eyes to see an empty lot outside.

"Here's your stop, miss. Be careful."

"This is the intersection already? Oh well. Thank you very much."

Alice paid the taxi driver and got off onto the sidewalk. She walked down the sidewalk to where city hall was. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind blew by and blinded her vision. The wind soon died down, and Alice saw a miracle before her eyes. A huge mansion was now standing on the empty lot of grass.

"What is this place?" Alice walked over the front lawn and saw a figure standing by the front door. "Who's there?"

The figure turned around, took a look at Alice, and ran away inside. Alice roughly saw him as a man in his late twenties or early thirties. She walked up the stair and pushed the door open. Inside was a magnificently decorated lobby, with doors on the first and second floor that led to other rooms. However, Alice saw no trace of where that man could've gone.

"Hello?" said Alice with a gradually louder voice. "Is anyone here? Mr. Jones, are you here?"

"So you're finally here." The strange man appeared by the top of the spiral stairs near the banister with his book in his hands again. "Welcome. Everyone else is waiting for you. It's almost 10 o'clock."

Not knowing what to do, Alice walked over to the bottom of the stairs to take a good look at him. His short black hair and brown eyes reminded her of some, but who?

"Are you Mr. Jones?" Alice took out the letter written by the typewriter. "I received this message saying-"

In an instant, the paper flew out of her hands by a gust of wind. Coincidentally, it flew into the man's hand, who stuffed it in his book. For a moment, Alice was shocked to see what had just happened. The man, however, closed his book and spoke.

"I hope that didn't surprise you, but either way, you'll be seeing things more surprising that this. I only took your letter to keep track of who's here and who's not. You'll probably surprised that you're the only one who's arrived here."

"W-What are you talking about? Where am I? I thought you said everyone else was waiting for-"

"Yes, they _are_ waiting for you. They're here, but but they're not here. They're...how do say it? In another dimension?"

Alice backed away at the illogical thought and sense of his words. "This isn't what I expected at all! Who are you and why did you call me here?"

"Alice darling, there are some thing that you'll have to learn the hard way. But all I say is that all will become clear and understandable in the end."

"But who are you?!"

The man sighed and pushed his glassed up. "Alice, I am Suguru Kazami, and welcome to the House of 1,000 Doors."

_House of 1,000 Doors? And his last name...isn't that the same as Shun's? Are they related or something?_ Some things were clearing up, but there was more to be explained. But before she could say anything, another gust of wind blew. Only, it gradually blew harder to as fast as a tornado.

"I'm sorry that we have to depart like this, Alice, but there's someone that needs to see you right away. We'll meet again next time."

"But wait! Where am I going?!" The wind blinded Alice's vision, and the last thing she saw was Suguru walking away with faint smirk on his face. _How did I end up in this mess in the first place?_


	2. Boarding the Eternal Train

_"Sometimes I feel like going somewhere faraway and never coming back ever again. You?"_

_"Maybe once in a while. But Shun, where would I go?"_

_"That's a good question."_

_Shun and Alice walked home from school and continued the discussion of a topic mentioned earlier in class. The question was, "If you could go anywhere by yourself for a day and never come back, where would it be?" That question still remained unanswered for both of them._

_"So, Alice. Let me ask you this. What place makes you feel content and at peace so that you don't have to worry about anything?"_

_"I really don't know. Why are you asking me this? Is this an assignment?"_

_"You heard what the teacher said about homework. Discuss this at home and be prepared to share tomorrow."_

_"I can discuss by myself, Shun. No need for you brainstorm it for me."_

_"I was just saying, alright?"_

_Alice turned a street corner and was at her house. She searched for her keys in her pocket and said, "I get it, Shun. I'll tell you tomorrow when I actually can think of something."_

_"Fine. One last question."_

_"Just ask."_

_Shun cleared his throat and asked, "If you were to go to that place wherever it is, would you go by yourself or with someone else?"_

_Alice thought about it as she continued looking for her keys. "That depends on what the situation is and what my mood will be. What about you?"_

_"Oh, with a certain person."_

_"Who might that be?" replied Alice, who finally found her house keys._

_"Yeah, about that. I'll tell you tomorrow when __**I**__ actually can think of something."_

_Alice flushed in anger and yelled, "What's that supposed to mean?!"_

_"I don't know. Ask yourself. You said it. You think about your answer while I think of mind. Bye!"_

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"Excuse me, miss. It's time to wake up."

"Hmm..."

"Hello? Please, just wake up!"

"What?!"

Alice shot up right from where she was sitting to see a young boy sitting next to her. She looked around frantically but saw that she was longer in the mansion, and neither was Suguru in sight. "Where am I?"

"You don't even know where you are?!" The boy stood up with his mouth open. "This is the train station, and you're waiting for the next train. Look at your ticket. Your train comes in...ten minutes."

Alice looked at the slip of paper in her hand and read the time and date. _He's right about the train, but how did I get this ticket in the first place._ She sat up and looked around her. "How long have I been sleeping here?"

"Um...you bought your ticket from the booths, came out here, took a nap, and yeah." He tilted his head and shrugged. "Want to help me with my train set for now while you're waiting?"

_He must have a lot of time. _Alice looked up and down from the boy to the train set he put out on a makeshift table. Then she took a good look at him. The boy was shorter than Alice by a head, had black hair, a round haircut, and a pair oval glasses. "I guess I'll help you for now. What your name?"

"Shinji. What's yours?"

"Hello, Shinji. I'm Alice." She walked next to him to see what he was doing. "How does all this work? And what do you need help on?"

"Just piece the train tracks together. Follow the silhouettes." He connected the caboose with the rest of the cabins. "Sadly, I'll be doing this for nothing because I have to catch a train later."

"So you have to dismantle this in order to bring with you on board?"

"Yeah, but it's also incomplete. The train engine head is the part that drives everything along the tracks, carrying everything with it. Only," Shinji to the train engine and shook it. "I lost the small motor inside somehow. Even installing the parts is stressing me. Why can't I be as successful as him?!"

"Him? Who's _him_?"

"A close person whom I look up to very much. He's older than me by a little, but he looks out for me all the time. He's also an expert inventor and won many awards."

"Oh. Reminds me of a once close friend of mine..."

"Really? What was she like? Way older than you or almost like your sibling?"

"It's a h-" Alice covered her mouth quickly to prevent herself from saying unnecessary things. _Shinji assumed that I'm talking about a girl, but that's not what I had in mind. _"Neither one, really. More like the concept of the best person to go to for anything."

"Like that one person who has advice for every situation but never really encountered them before? Reminds me a _lot_ of him."

"Really?" asked Alice curiously. _This is too coincidental. If Shinji's role model is who I think he is, how did they meet? I'm pretty sure that Shun's not the inventor type of person._ "Shinji, what's his n-"

Before long, a train pulled up on the tracks by the platform with a loud, screeching dissonance. Alice and Shinji's covered their ears as the train slowly came to a stop.

"There's your train." said Shinji. "You might want to hurry up."

"But can't you at least tell me-"

"It's was nice meeting you, Alice. Maybe we'll see each other again."

_He's not going to tell me his mentor's name, is he?_ "Bye, Shinji. See you next time."

Alice approached a pair fo sliding doors as the train went to a full stop. A burst of steam emerged from inside as the train doors open. She and walked up the short flight of stairs. Immediately, the train closed the doors and drove off again. All Alice did was find a seat where she could sit down. _Where __is this train going to take me__?_ She looked at the ticket she carried in her hand and read it. Printed on the ticket were Alice's full name, date and time, and the departure station. There was nothing else to read.

"This is strange. This ticket is missing many important features. How could anyone be allowed to sell such faulty train tickets like this?" Alice flipped it over but saw nothing except for a watermark of the train station's logo. "How did I get this ticket in the first place?"

Then she heard gentle weeping from the wall behind her. "Is anyone in there?" Alice got up from her seat to see that she was sitting next to one of those luxurious train cabins. She turned the knob, but it wouldn't budge.

"A train cabin needs a key from the front counter to open." Alice concluded. She ran to the conductor's office and opened the key cabinet. There were multiple keys, but they were all the same. The keys only opened that _one_ cabin that Alice sat next to.

But the key chains were what caught Alice's attention. A white, hexagonal shape all dangled from those identical keys...

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

_Once again, Alice was searching for her house keys everywhere in her pockets and backpack without luck. Only a metal detector was the ultimate solution to finding those keys._

_"__This is tiring__! I can't find my house key__s__! Now I can't go home." Alice yelled.__ "I put them in my coat pocket this morning and then placed them in my backpack in this compartment. Now they're gone. I'm pretty sure magic didn't do this."_

_"Isn't anyone at home right now?" asked Shun.__ "Maybe they can let you in."_

_Alice shook her head. "My aunt wasn't home when I called the house__ phone__, __and__ you know how she's always going here __and__ there for her job. I only have this one key to use in my life so far, __and__ I can't even keep it safe.__ Even the other keys are quite useless. Why do I keep losing my keys? I still had them the other day.__"_

_"Don't worry, Alice. I know how to help you with that." Shun looked through his knapsack __and__ took out a circular item.__ On it was a pointy, hexagonal shape with ice-blue and white details._

_"What's that?"_

_"__It's a key chain, like those fancy decorations you see people put with their keys.__ Attach your key onto this hexagon snowflake __key chain__and__ you'll never lose it__ again.__"_

_"Yeah, but why a snowflake? A snowflake is pretty boring__ and unfancy__, if you ask me. And I already have a __key chain__ on my key already, so-"_

_"Snowflakes are unique, you know." Shun interrupted as he put the key chain in Alice's hand__ and closed it__. "Trust me. You won't lose your key. By the way, this snowflake reminds me a lot of you. So gentle __and__ unique, yet fragile __and__ easy to lose..."_


	3. Next Stop, Happiness

"Doesn't matter. I threw away that stupid key chain away anyway." Alice walked back to the cabin and unlocked the door. The cries certainly came from inside the room, and Alice was certainly shocked by what-or who-she saw. "Oh my gosh! Am I seeing things?!"

Alice immediately backed up after seeing a ghost appearing before her eyes. The ghost, a young woman with teal-blue hair wearing a long dress and a feathered bonnet, was sitting on the train seat crying. Alice suddenly felt a rush of sadness and dismay in her. _This is different. Something about her isn't right. Her heart and emotions are a mess. She won't rest until she gets what she wants._ Alice approached the ghost and asked, "Excuse me, but are you okay? What's wrong?"

The woman heard Alice's voice and answered clearly to the best of her ability. "Finally. Someone who will actually talk to me. You have no idea how long I've been here. They just won't let me off the train."

"Wait. _Who_ won't let you off the train? It just stopped at the station a while ago."

"You don't understand. My husband Dan is waiting for me at the station near our new home. That's the only station I'm allowed to get off, but this train just won't stop there! What am I supposed to do?!"

"Okay. Relax and don't cry." Alice sat down and patted the woman's back. "Why don't you tell me how you got here in the first place?"

She nodded her head and said, "Dan was taking us home from a honeymoon after we got married a few days before. During the ride, he took me out to the special deck cabin where it was crowded with people to tell me how much he loved me. He roughly yelled 'Runo, I love-' but was later hit by something hard flying out from nowhere. His whole head was cut off, and I was so shocked and scared. After that, people kept telling me that Dan went home peacefully already, but I've been on this train forever!

"My goodness. That must have been terrifying. But part of it reminds of an experience that I once had..."

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

_"Alice, hurry up! I want to say it when I still have the chance!"_

_"Okay, I'm hurrying up, Shun!__"__ Alice nearly tripped over a bolt on the floor on her way to Shun. __"__What's the surprise?"_

_Shun waited for Alice to come over __and__ said, "You'll see it soon. Actually, more like you__'__ll __**hear**__ it soon."_

_"I want to see or hear it __**now**__. Please..."_

_Shun took a deep breath __and__ said, "Just be prepared to hear something loud."_

_"Shun Kazami, what are you going to do?"_

_With a smirk on his face, Shun stepped over the railing a little __and__ yelled, "Alice Gehabich, I...love...y-!" Suddenly, the train made a very abrupt stop, causing Shun to hit his chest __and__ abdomen on the railing __and__ become slightly unconscious __and__ unable to speak._

_"Shun, are you alright? Answer me! Shun!" Alice looked around __and__ yelled, "Help! We need medical__ support__!" As people rushed over to help, Alice thought to her herself, _Shun, no matter what, I'll find a way to save you.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"It took quite a long time for him to wake up from the hit, but he never got to finish what he wanted to say." _But who cares? I don't want to hear it anyway._ "Don't worry, Runo, I'll help you find a way to have you be with Dan again." Alice reassured.

"You will? Oh, thank you so much, dear! This is like an eternal prison to me that's keeping me away from Dan. I want to get off this train now." Runo wiped her face with a handkerchief, which gave Alice an idea.

"Runo, may I borrow your handkerchief?"

"Sure. Here you go." As Runo handed her handkerchief to Alice, it changed from being a part of a ghost to solid material.

"Thank you." Alice put it in her pocket as Runo kept crying. As Alice was about to exit, she saw a clipboard on the table. "What's this?" Alice read the papers to herself.

_"The patient is suffering from PTSD __and__ isn't getting __any __better. She constantly says that her husband Dan is waiting for her at their home. The main cause of her condition is most likely personally seeing her husband __die__ cruelly in front of her. The patient will be put in a mental hospital for the time being until her condition becomes better."_

"Runo's condition is _this_ bad?" Alice put the clipboard back down in shock as she looked in Runo's bag. "_Two_ train tickets? Runo doesn't even know she passed away already and still thinks that she's on that train!" _Why is this like how I thought that Shun still loved me? I used to be as stubborn Runo is right now._

Alice also found an old newspaper article and read that as well. "The press even published Dan and Runo's story. I feel sorry for these two. They were a perfect couple."

Putting the newspapers aside and holding the handkerchief in her hand, Alice ran back to the empty boiler room. "It's about time that I should stop this train. Runo's story is just too sad. I can't stand it!" She knelt down by the lever and scrubbed the soot off the sign. "This is the only major mechanical devise on this entire train. It _has_ to be the mechanism that controls the train. But why won't this soot rub off?! I can't read the words."

Tears fell down from Alice's eyes down her cheeks and landed on the labels. "Why are Suguru and Shinji making me do this? Why do _I _have to help Runo? How did I end up here in the first place?!" She punched her fist on the label but took her hand back after the intense pain, "Great, now there's soot on my hands. Wait...the soot came off onto my hands. I got it!"

Alice looked around for any source of water, but there was none to be found. "I guess I'll have to cry some water out."

More tears rolled down Alice's eyes as each drop landed on the sign and softened the soot. "It's working! Time to wipe it off and read the sign." Alice scrubbed hard to get rid of the soot as the sign became blue-gray again with words.

"Top means 'go,' middle means 'slow,' and bottom means 'stop.' Time to pull the lever way back." With both hands on the handle, Alice used the last of her energy to move the lever from the "go" position to "stop." When the lever reached "stop," the train's furnace made a loud pop sound.

"I did it...I finally did it! The train is slowing down and coming to a stop! Runo, you can go home now!" But something wasn't right. The train _was_ slowing down, but it was still going very fast. _I thought I stopped the train. What happened?_ Suddenly, the train stopped moving and jerked, causing everything to shake violently.

"My head...it hurts so badly. What happened?" Once again, the screeching dissonance of the train slowing down along the tracks came back, and Alice covered her ears the entire time until the train fully stopped. "Wait...I heard something."

Alice walked back to the seats and saw that only one pair of sliding doors were open, and they were located next to Runo's cabin. Runo exited her room and descended the stairs to the platform, right before the doors closed again.

Standing a few yards away was a tall man with brown hair in about his late twenties. _That must be her husband Dan. They're finally reunited._

Suddenly, another man walked out onto the platform, but he was younger and slightly shorter with raven-black hair. _Isn't that Shun? How did he get here?_

Runo ran up to the first man and embraced him warmly. "Dan, I'm so glad to be home! How have you been?"

Dan stepped back and held the woman's face in his hand. "Runo, I missed you so much. Now we can finally be together. Shun, thank you for telling me to wait for Runo at this station. I owe everything to you."

_What? It really is Shun! What's he doing here? At least Runo __and__ Dan are together now. Runo's broken heart can finally be cured!_ Despite Shun's existence in the scene, Alice still watched the couple celebrate in joy from inside the train.

"Well, you can thank this other really close and helpful person of mine who helped me find this station and convince the conductor to go through here." Shun replied. "Besides, that used to happen to me before, only not as serious. If only I could repay her for always being at my side in the hospital..."

_Close friend? He couldn't have meant me, right? At least he knows that I spent almost 24 consecutive hours with him at the hospital._ Tears rolled down Alice's cheeks at the thought of what Shun last said, despite how much she hated him now.

Soon, everything, from Dan and Runo to the train station, disappeared as the train moved on to its next destination.


	4. A Place to Stay & Reminisce

The glass windows of the train were all fogged up by condensed water, and Alice woke up to the cold around her. She didn't know how long she slept or was unconscious, but for certain, this was no ordinary train ride. Alice wiped one of the windows and and pure and absolute whiteness outside.

"No wonder it's so cold," she shivered. "It's snowing! But how did the the train drive here without any pro-"

Then Alice opened the door and saw that the train had crashed into what used to be a functioning marble fountain. She look the other way and saw that the train went off its tracks long ago. "How did this happen? This train was fine when it left the station some time ago. And how long have I been sleeping? My head still hurts."

In the distance was a small white house, almost invisible against the snow. _I need to go go there to get warm, but I can't even walk there in this cold. _Alice saw no other way to get there aside from crawling and taking slow steps. The chilly winds blew against her for as long as it took her to walk, but the house wasn't that far away. _Why do I have to live like this? Why must I have to endure this pain? Shun's probably laughing at me because of this._

Finally, Alice reached the front doors. Before she knocked on the door, Alice stood up and took a good look at the house. Something about this house was familiar yet distant to her.

"This house. I've see it before." She thought harder but only resulted in a headache. "Could it be...?"

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

_"And that concludes your tour of the day. What do you think?"_

_"What do I think? There's too much that I have to say about this aside from it being very beautiful. You have a really keen eye for this, Shun."_

_Shun and Alice stood on the sidewalk as they looked up at a beautiful one-story house painted in pure white with pastel green sub-colors. It had both a Victorian and oriental style into it, in a way in which both combined to create balance and harmony._

_"So you're going to move in here really soon?" asked Alice._

_"Yup. The good thing about this new house is that it's still close to our school, which means I won't have to transfer. Also, it's bigger than the old house that I lived in. Grandfather insists o staying in our old house, and I don't blame him. My mom wants something simple and small to live in since it's just going to be the two of us, so here it is. Simple and small."_

_Alice sighed in agreement. "I see what you mean. My grandfather disagreed with leaving his laboratory in Moscow behind, but you probably know the rest of the story. I live in an average, good quality house right now, and I'm very happy to have a house like that."_

_"Well, parents can get really picky and traditional at times, and I don't blame them for that either. Speaking of 'house,' there's this thing that I really want to do, but not until I'm older with way more money than what I have now."_

_"What is it?"_

_"Buy a beautiful house like this for the both of us to live in."_

_Alice was speechless._

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

Seeing that this was her only chance for shelter, Alice knocked on the door. After a while, a voice called out.

"Come in..." The voice was slow and groggy, as if the person just woke up. "Door's open."

Alice pushed open the door to see a beautifully decorated living room. _I want to have a house like this someday. Only I can't afford it__ yet__._ A sweet aroma called for attention and took her to the kitchen and dining room.

"Pea soup, cooked turkey, medium-rare steak, some salad with a little too much ranch, and more. Is someone having a banquet? Seems a little lonely for that. What else is there to eat?" Alice stumbled upon a long dining table laid out with a variety of untouched food. Her immediate reaction was to eat what she could take. Upon reaching for the utensils, a woman sitting at the opposite end of the table woke up. "Ah!"

"Huh?"

Alice and the woman stared at each other in silence for a while. The woman had long black hair and emerald-green eyes. Despite her sleepiness, she stared at Alice angrily, which was ironic because she was the same voice that let Alice into the house.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to take the food!" Alice apologized over and over. "I was just hungry. Can please spare some-"

"Stay back!" yelled the woman. "Don't get any closer. I have a terrible headache, and sleeping isn't helping me. Who are you?"

Alice nodded and replied, "I'm in desperate need of shelter. Are you okay?"

She rubbed her forehead and spoke. "I'm quite vulnerable to extreme cold and heat. My son was supposed to visit and bring me medicine, but due to harsh snowstorms, his train ride was canceled. He called and told me methods of relieving my pain, but I'm not getting better. Also, he said he cut his hair recently. I really want to see what he did to himself this time."

"I see." _Hair cut? Who would mention such irrelevant things?_ "Out of curiosity, what's son's n-"

"Please hand me a cup of sakura tea." the woman requested. "My head _really_ hurts."

"Oh." _I guess she's not going to say much either. _Alice reached for the teapot and poured a cup of tea. "Here you go. Feeling better?"

The woman drank the entire cup of tea and asked for more. "Thank you. My name is Shiori. Yours?"

"Alice."

"Hello, Alice. I don't mind staying here for shelter for now because I really would love the company, but I need to rest, too. There's firewood in the shed next door for the fireplace." A while later, Shiori was sleeping again with her head and arms on the table.

Alice put on a thick coat she found on the chair and went next door to the shed. The door was frozen shut with ice, and the windows were too frosted to see through. With a strong kick, Alice broke the door down.

"Bad mistake. Now the wind is just going to blow in nonstop." Inside the workshop were a variety of chisels, an anvil, wooden tables and benches, and a piece of disfigured white stone.

"This is a sculptor's workshop. Looks like they haven't been here for a long time." She stared closed at the stone, which she figured was marble. "A sculptor...means sculpture."

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

_Alice sat down on one of the benches in the cafeteria hallways __and__ looked at her class schedule. "Yes! I'm taking Korean, Chemistry, Enriched English, __and__Algebra II__. Last year of PE for me, but I don't have Enriched World History." She saw Shun walked out the double doors __and__ called, "Shun! What's your schedule?"_

_Shun walked over __and__ took a seat next to Alice. "I have Enriched English, Physics, Enriched World History, Competitive PE, __Algebra II__, __and__ Sculpture."_

_"Really? __W__e have EE __and__Algebra II__ together. I know you're more of a 'forces' person than a 'chemical' person, but sculpture? You never told me you were a 3D art person. What happened to just sticking with drawing __and__ painting."_

_"It was a requirement to have at least 10 Credits in any Fine Arts class to go to college, so I want to get it over with. Like last year with my Career Technical class. Besides, majority of my electives in middle school were 2D art related. Why so surprised?"_

_"Right.__ B__eing an art lover like me, I can tell that you probably won't last the first few days." Alice added with a giggle._

_"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying that I'm going to fail Sculpture? I will so get you for this if I-"_

_"Relax, Shun. I only said 'first few days.' Doesn't mean you won't last the 'rest of the days.' A little bit of advice for you. Take chances, make mistakes, __and__ be creative!"_

_"You stole that from Magic School Bus, didn't you?"_

_"Also, I had the teacher you__'__re having for Physics for Biology last year, __and__ he talks a __**lot**__ about Magic School Bus."_

_"Okay, Alice. Why don't we keep talking about Sculpture for now? Science isn't one of my best subjects."_

_"Neither is 3D art. So what's your favorite or best subject?"_

_"I never told you that?"_

_Alice shook her head. "Your grades are all so high __and__ similar that I can't tell if you're struggling with anyone or not."_

_"Well, I really love PE, which I why I'm taking CPE this year, but I'm trying to adapt to 3D art for once."_

_"Why 3D art? You don__'__t like 2D art anymore?"_

_"Oh, no reason. Maybe because of a certain beautiful person who won't stop talking about how good they are at all kinds of art that's also making me jealous. Got to go!" Shun ran off down another hallway as Alice angrily ran after him._


	5. Snow-Laden Grave

Alice looked around the workshop to see unfinished sculptures lying around as if for ages. "I wonder where the sculptor is. Who would abandon their workshop like this?" On the ground scattered some firewood, so Alice collected it all and set them in a pile. _I guess it wouldn__'__t hurt to start a fire here for now._

A broken window let in a breeze and blew a stack of papers into Alice's face. "What's this? It looks like somebody's journal. Could it belong to the missing sculptor?" She arranged the pages so that she stared with the earliest date.

_November 11__th__: I have retrieved enough marble today to begin carving a statue of my dear wife Mira. It's been a while since she passed away, and I really need to look for my past sketches of her radiant smile and elegant beauty and carve that into my work._

"So the sculptor's wife died, and he's planning to carve a statue of her. This is so sweet. When was the last time Shun ever did something like this for me? What happens next?"

_November 17__th__: This is not as easy as it seems. I'm already on my third piece of marble, yet I still cannot carve Mira's face into it. Why?! I'm working as hard as I can to make this perfect, but her beauty just cannot be captured into this piece of marble!_

"Seems like he's not doing so well. If he still remembers his wife's face and has sketches of it, then he shouldn't have any problems with carving the marble."

_November 25__th__: For Heaven's sake! No matter how hard I try, Mira's face will just not bring itself out into this statue! I've wasted eight pieces of marble now. The only chance I have of carving an exact replica of her face is to retrieve her face itself!_

"Retrieve her face itself? Sounds more disgusting than a horror movie. He had better not do anything stupid because none of it will be worth it if things go wrong."

_December 3__rd__: I quit! Digging up Mira's skull was even worse than carving her face from memory! Now I'm certain that I'll never be able to carve Mira's face into marble. Oh, how my head hurts just writing thi__s_—

The journal entry ended there with a huge, dried spot of spilled ink, and there were no more entries beyond that date. "Something's not right. This is the only clue saying what happened to this sculptor, but there has to be more to it. Maybe I should search outside."

Wearing an old but warm coat that she found in a closet, Alice left the cabin and explored the snowy ground outside. She found a house about a few feet away and went over there. The first thing that caught her eye was the frozen mailbox.

Alice gently blew on the side to melt the ice. "These must be the names of the residents. Ace Grit and Mira Clay..._Mira?_" _So if Mira was the wife, then Ace Grit must be the unsuccessful sculptor._

Later, Alice looked around the house to look for a way in, but it was no use. The only door to inside the house was in very bad condition. As she walked down the steps and onto the snowy grounds, Alice suddenly remembered Shun and what he said before he left.

" 'I won't be in class tomorrow...' What's _that_ supposed to mean? Are you telling me this so that I'll care and worry about you? Are you saying that so I'll feel pity for you? I absolutely won't do any of that!" Alice fell to her knees and breathed deeply in anger. "Oh no. The train left before I had a chance to talk with Shinji."

She stood up and walked across the slippery icy bridge in front of her. Alice looked over to her side and saw the river, frozen and solid from presumably years of snow and ice. She also glanced over at the bare winter trees, all leafless and white. _I __really __miss the old days...before we broke up._

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

_It was an average snowy day in Japan when he took her out to a sakura forest._

_"Watch your step, Alice. We're going on the bridge, and it's icy and slippery.__ And didn't I tell you __**not**__ to wear those boots?__"_

_"__I'm sorry, Shun, but these were the only appropriate winter footwear I have. Besides, I__ don't get it. You're taking me to a sakura forest in the winter? Shouldn't the trees be bare by now? And can I open my eyes now?__ At least give me a blindfold so my eyelids won't hurt.__"_

_"Actually, cherry blossoms are one of the most unique __aspects __about Japan. Open your eyes and see."_

_Alice ope__ned__ her eyes to see a magnificent scene of sakura trees, each with many beautiful cherry blossoms blooming. The winter wind gently blew some of the petals into the air, bringing a sweet and memorable scent._

_"This...this really __**is**__ beautiful. I had no idea that they would blossom so vibrantly in the winter. What a mystery.__ How is that possible.__"_

_Shun stood next to Alice and put his hand over her shoulder. "Normal sakura trees blossom in spring and become bare in winter, like most flowering trees, but fuyuzakura blossom in autumn and remain blossoming __and vibrant __for the entire winter. This is a rare sight, you know."_

_Alice suddenly thought of an idea. "Rare sight? Then we should take a picture with the fuyuzakura on this snowy day__ we'll always remember it.__"_

_"Great idea. I'll set my camera on a timer." Shun laid his camera gently on the opposite rail and posed with Alice as the camera beeped and flashed._

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

Alice found herself standing in front of a meticulously sculpted granite tombstone with a rough edge at the very top. She brushed the snow off and read the name. "Mira Clay...so this is where she's buried. At least the sculptor carved a beautiful tombstone for her. If only she could see it..." Alice looked to see that the Grit residence wasn't far away from where she was. "This mini graveyard is quite close to their house, but I wonder why-"

"Excuse me, but you're stepping on my late wife's grave." Alice turned around to see a fairly young man. _Could this be the ghost of Ace Grit? He seems so...young._ The ghost sighed and added, "But it doesn't matter. It'll be the same either way."

"What do you mean? Are you the well-known sculptor Ace Grit?" asked Alice. "What happened to carving a statue of your wife?"

"Yes, I'm Ace Grit. I gave up on that project years ago when I realized that I couldn't carve Mira's face into the marble. I dug up her skull to use as a real example, but that was even worse than before."

"Why so? What happened after you dug up her skull?"

"I literally went mad. I was so angry that just threw the most successful sculpture of Mira onto the ground, even though it wasn't finished. I was so hopeless and lost that I decided to reunite with her."

"So you committed..._suicide?_ It wasn't that serious, was it? You probably were quite young back then." _Of course, if Shun said that he did that for me, then pigs must be flying.__ This sculptor must have had a really tough life._

"I was 24 back then, for Mira and I got married early, but then Mira died early of sickness. After a while, I hung myself, and that was a huge mistake. Ever since I dug up Mira's skull, I must have put her soul at unrest. I returned the skull back, but that made things worse. Now I'm at unrest, too, and it's too late for me to do anything about it because I'm _dead_."

_I need to help him like with Runo, but how? __This __isn't as easy as stopping a train. _"Uh, Mr. Grit, I-"

"Call me Ace. I'm not that old." he replied jokingly.

"Okay then, _Ace_. What did Mira look like?"

Ace reached in his pocket and took out a small photo. "Here. Mira was the most beautiful woman I ever met, inside and outside. Her bright smile and gentleness always brightens up every one of my tough days as a sculptor. That is, until she became ill. Then things changed."

"Is there anything that I can do to help Mira?"

The sculptor took out something from his pocket again. "I don't know if there's a way, but there has to be. Her skull is back inside now. Also, I've been working on this necklace for some time, but didn't get the chance to give it to Mira. It's just an ordinary metal chain with a small pendant."

"Is that all?"

"You see that notch on top of the tombstone? I broke the decoration by accident when I dug up the grave. I'd appreciate it if you could fix it. That's the least we can do."

"What was it supposed to be?"

"A flat silhouette of her head. I won't be able to sculpt anything in this condition. Maybe you can carve something."

_So I need to carve roughly Mira's head and adhere it to the broken base. That's convenient. But how am I going to carve a perfectly fitting neck? _Suddenly, Alice thought of an excellent plan and yelled, "Ace, I know how to give this necklace to her and put your souls at rest at the same time."


End file.
